Support for metallic fence-rails



' No. 626,733. Patented 1une|3,|a99. n. c. STEWART', .1a. &w.LA. STEWART.

SUPPORT FOB ME'UTALLIC FEHNGE RAIIQS;

mppnccion med Feb 27, 189m' um'model.)

uml-

izda- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD C. STEWART, JR., AND WALLACE A; STEWART, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

SUPPORT FOR METALLIC FENCE-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent N0. 626,733, dated J une I3, 1899.

Application tiled February 27, 1899. Serial No. 706,960, (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Beit known that we, RICHARD C. STEW- AET, Jr., and WALLACE A. STEWART, citizens of the United States, residing at Covington, in the county of Kenton and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supports for Metallic Fence-Rails; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. l

This invention relates to those metallic fences which include pickets or palings Aapplied to two or more horizontal rails carried by vertical posts located at the fence-panels;

and our improvement comprises a/,peculiarlyconstructed attachment to be used at the terminations of such rails. This attachment includes a short horizontal plate pierced vertically to admit a post, to which it is bolted or otherwise firmly secured, and said plate has integral downwardly-projecting iianges that fit snugly against the outer sides or webs of a fence-rail, the latter being usually an inverted channel-iron. In addition to a pair of such side flanges each plate is provided with two greatly-enlarged transverse section showing said support fastened to a post and carrying a fence-rail. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section, on a reduced scale, of said attachment and a pair of rails supported by it. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of the same, which section is taken in the plane of a bolt G, wherewith our attachment is secured to a fence-post. Fig.`

8 is a plan of amodiiied form of a clamp used with the support.

The fence-post A, which may be of any suitable size, shape, and metal, has its lower end set in masonry or other appropriate foundation or base and in the present case is designed to carry a pair of upper horizontal rails B B' and a similar pair of lower rails C C', the metallic pickets or palings D being secured to these rails in the usual manner. Again, each rail is preferably an inverted channel-iron, as more clearly shown at B in Fig. 5.

Our rail-support consists, essentially, of a flat horizontal plate E, having integral side flanges e e and pierced at its center, as at F, with a vertical hole F to admit the aforesaid post A. Furthermore,said support is usually a shallow casting with a transverse stiffeningrib e, the latter being threaded for the engagement of a bolt G, wherewith said casting v is firmly secured to the fence-post, although a headed pin or rivet may be substituted for this bolt or screw, if desired. Again, the plate E is pierced near its ends, as shown at I-I H in Fig. 6, to admit screws or bolts I I', wherewith clamps J J' are coupled to said plate, the lower portions of said clamps being bent in, as shown at j j in Fig. 5, so as to engage under the side tianges or webs of the fence-rail B.

h b in Figs. 6 and 7 are longitudinal slots in the rails B B to permit them to expand and contract without bending the clampscrews I I'.

To attach our rail-support to a fence, the' post A must first be set in any secure manner, and then the device E e e J J, that carries the lower rails C C, is passed down over said post and fastened thereon at the desired elevation by tightening the, screw G, after which act the upper device E c c' J J is applied and fastened in the same way. The appropriate rails are next inserted in the open ends of said devices and the clamps J J arranged to rest flatly upon the plates E E,while the lower ends of said clamps are caused to it in under the side flanges or webs of said rails. The next step consists in passing the bolts I Il down through the holes II H' and slots b b and then engaging nuts with the threaded portions of said bolts, as shown in Fig. 6. Evidently the weight of the rails is now borne wholly by the inturned ends of the clamps, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Therefore no strain is brought to bear upon the bolts I I',

IOC

- Fig. 5.

their sole duty being to retain said clam-ps in their proper positions with reference to the plates E. There may be cases, however, where it will be advisable to omit the short inward bendsjj' and run one or more transverse bars of the clalnpvacross under the en-v tire rail, as indicated by dotted -lines j" in Such a continuous transverse bar is supposed to he used-in the construction shown in Fig. 6; louta clamp may include a pair of these bars, as represented at j' j'" in Fig. 8. Again, the side of a clamp may be cut away, so as to form a skeleton frame, as shown at J in Fig. 4. Y

It Willgbe apparent thatvour attachment not only supports the rails in the most secure manner, but it also conceals an objectionable opening that would be exposed where said rails are joined to the post.

Finally, although the attachment is preferably made of cast-iron or cast-steel, still-in some cases it may be a drop-forging.

. Vc claim as our invention- The combination, in a fence-rail support, of a plate E, having integral downwardlyprojecting side flanges e, e', and perforations F, H, H'; the detachable clamps J, J resting upon said plate, embracing said flanges e, e', and bent inwardly at bottom; the bolts 1,1', traversing said clamps J, J', and perfo- RICHARD C. STEWART, JR. W'ALLACE A. STEWART.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. LAYMAN, J oHN-C. ROGERS. 

